Four in the Park (ePub)

Mourning the Marigolds: Eccentric, sixtyish Bessie Levinson she sits on a park bench in Russell Square Park in London and tells her life story to Charlie Hampton, a stranger. Elsewhere in the park is Father Frank McAllister, an Irish priest, also in his sixties, strolling with his niece. He's telling Julie a very similar story... Frank's and Bessie's love affair unfolded and ended. However, on this particular chilly autumn afternoon, with Bessie's beloved marigolds about to gasp their last, there's a chance meeting between two old lovers...

A Day in the Life of Eleanor Duncan: Eleanor Duncan is a 72-year-old homeless woman living on a park bench in Central Park. She believes her bench to be her "home", which is wonderfully located so she can overlook skaters and lovers. She has been on the streets for twenty-four years and wouldn't have it any other way. On this Christmas Eve, Eleanor welcomes a string of visitors and regales them all with stories from her past. As she enjoys Christmas Eve dinner, she's surprised by her final visitor of the day...the last visitor of her life.

Wednesday: An aging woman chances to meet her long-time housekeeper in the park after thirty years. The time has been kind to one and not so kind to the other. As the two elderly women sit in the chill of a late November afternoon, they discover their differences may not be as great as they always thought.

Thursday: Two sisters in their seventies--one with Alzheimer's, the other her caregiver--have taught each other about coping and unconditional love.